Opponents of Medical Aid in Dying cite the possibility that disabled or poor people could be coerced into choosing it. The experience of my dear friend Michael, who chose MAID and departed surrounded by loved ones a week ago today as I write this, suggests otherwise. He was in excruciating untreatable pain for 12 years, after a hernia mesh tore loose in his body and set off a cascade of autoimmune, neurological and digestive disorders.

Michael lived in Colorado, where MAID is legal, but still very difficult to do. Because he didn’t have a terminal diagnosis with a six-month prognosis, he could not get approved for hospice or MAID for a long time, even though he’d exhausted all treatment options long ago. It was only when he literally lost the ability to process food — he was starving to death in real time — that he was able to do it. One doctor had to attest that he had less than six months, was of sound mind, and wasn’t being pressured into it (among other tests), and to be willing to administer the drugs. A second doctor had to agree in writing that he met the tests but did not have to mention MAID in the letter.

I knew Michael since we were 15 years old; he was 59 when he died. He should have lived another 30 years to teach yoga and meditation, crack his pals up with ridiculous jokes, and love and be loved by his family and friends. But that was not possible for him, and in my sadness I’m glad he got to make the choice he did. I hope the Legislature stays focused on the needs of people who are truly suffering with no end in sight. Massachusetts should adopt Medical Aid in Dying.

Jenny Hansell

Haydenville